Full Game Review
Genres: Horror & Tragedy
Plot Summary
The sequel to Obscure takes place two years after the gruesome events of the first game. The survivors have gone on to college and try to return to their normal lives. After the discovery of a beautiful but strange plant on school campus, events take a turn for the worse. Soon, the college students have to battle for survival once again.
Original Opinion
I never heard of a survival horror game that forces you to have a 2nd player with you. You could play the game by yourself, but the AI isn't the smartest. It's a lot more fun playing through with a friend anyway. So, anyway, I bought solely for the reason that it was a co-op survival horror game.
Graphics
They were pretty decent. I wouldn't say they were amazing, but the cut scenes were nice. The actual game graphics did a good job trying to match the cut scenes. I'm sure a few years ago they would have seemed better, but compared to today's graphics, they're "fuzzy".
Sound & Music
Excellent. The voices weren't bad and the soundtrack was just pure creepy. The entire soundtrack was done by a children's choir so you had children's voices singing. This alone added to the creepy factor. You can download the entire soundtrack along with two bonus songs HERE. Don't worry, it's legal. It's actually on the creator's offical page. He also did the music for the first game and for the game Alone in the Dark (2008).
Storyline
An interesting and creative storyline. Considering that it was based around a plant, the plot is quite in-depth. All the reviews I read on it complained about the lack of plot. Obviously, they didn't explore the game. There is countless stuff to read while playing that complex the storyline more and more. The reviews also complained about the game not wrapping up loose ends. Here's the deal about that. After you watch the credits, you have three more chapters to play through. The game isn't over until you see a second set of credits with happy music. This was probably done, because they were going to do a third game, but decided to just finish the game off. Most likely because of budget cuts. The last three chapters explain more, gives you a bonus chapter if you got all the item boxes, and explains what happens to the characters. They even leave it slightly open for a possible sequel, but so far, nothing was officially announced.
Co-Op System
The game is filled with sections of the game that forces the player to have a partner. The AI works, but isn't the best in fighting monsters or figuring things out without you doing all the work. It's best to have a friend help you out. A lot of of the co-op parts are just you and your partner moving things, pulling each other up onto a ledge, or doing a puzzle while the other beats away monsters. It's actually a lot of fun.
Unique Abilities
Besides co-op, there's also the ability to change which character you're playing as. Each character has a special ability that you'll need to get through a tough puzzle. They have everything from the simple moving large boxes, to hacking the computers, to absorbing the strange black mist. You can even lock pick and put ripped up notes and photos back together. The only downside is you never know who you actually need to get to the next level. A lot of times you find yourself running back to the group of people to change characters just to unlock a door or something and then running back to get someone else to make it through the next section of the area. Still, I liked how no one was useless and you had to use everyone to make it through the game.
Final Opinion
The game got some pretty low reviews on the web, but I think that's because people rushed through it. You really have to explore the game, read everything, and of course keep playing after the first set of credits to fully enjoy the game. It helps to have a good friend playing with you as well. I really enjoyed it and thought it was a lot of fun. I just wished they explained that the black flowers were the save point and not something deadly. I played through a third of the game before dying and then figuring it out. Anyway, I suggest this for everyone who likes survival horror games and/or someone who wants to play a co-op game that has an interesting and crazy storyline.